Microsoft shuts down its beloved maker space

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at a hackathon event in 2016. | Image: Microsoft" data-portal-copyright="Image: Microsoft" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/R_2016-Hackathon-Day2-064-1.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at a hackathon event in 2016. | Image: Microsoft </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Microsoft is closing down The Garage, a set of popular maker spaces where employees worked on experimental projects and collaborated on surprising new apps and hardware during the company's annual hackathon events.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">"We're winding down The Garage program as a centralized function," says Microsoft in an internal FAQ to employees, seen by <em>Notepad</em>. "We will continue to explore new ways to help employees build skills, collaborate across boundaries, and bring a hacker mindset to their work." <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsoft-shuts-the-door-on-the-garage-the-central-program-behind-its-hackathon-and-maker-spaces/"><em>GeekWire</em></a> first reported on The Garage's closure.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The main Garage space was located at Microsoft's Redmond, Washington, campus and served as the central hub …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/1016389/microsoft-garage-closure-hackathon-notepad">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>